Chapter 62 - Chapter 56 Organizing Tasks
“I didn’t expect there to be a training camp, but I’m looking forward to it.”
“Ah, yeah. I’m looking forward to it, but what am I going to do about it…?”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, you see. It’s just me and Miki (Seth) at home right now…”
“I think Seth-chan should just come along.”
“Hmm, that would be ideal, but…”
Bell-buchou and Yata-sensei probably wouldn’t say no, but I’d have to cover her travel expenses. …If I asked Dad through Miki, it might be fine.
Once Bell-buchou’s group set off to explore the tower, I logged into IRO. Mion immediately started watching.
I made my way through the Ancient Ruins corridor into the forge to check on the Iron Ore I had smelted during club activities. It should have been done without any problems, but…
[Ancient Magic Furnace: Smelting Complete]
“Alright, alright.”
Opening the furnace door revealed 10 Iron Ingots. Picking them up, the solid weight in my hand felt real.
“Are 10 ingots enough for a pickaxe?”
“Hmm, I guess I’ll have to try. Well, I’ll do it one more time.”
Mion had helped me confirm that 5 Iron Ore yield 1 ingot. The furnace’s limit was 50 ore. The MP consumption was the same whether it was 5 or 50 ore, which made sense. I tossed in the remaining 45 ore and restarted the furnace. It would finish on its own, so I had time for other things…
“Woof!”
“Hm, time for a meal.”
Leaving the forge, I returned to the cave, grabbed two pieces of driftwood for firewood, and emerged into the plaza. I really needed to gather more dead wood soon. It felt like searching in the West Forest would be better than this dense forest around here, but…
I lit a fire and grilled rabbit meat, while also mincing some for Lupi and putting it on a plate. I prepared water for her too; that was ready.
“Lupi, you can eat first.”
“Woof.”
A reward for waiting so patiently. The rabbit meat would take a little longer to cook, anyway.
Still, that Flower Trout the other day was delicious. I wanted to catch more, but I’d have to wait for the river’s water level to drop…
“I want some variety.”
“Shou-kun, didn’t you forget about the leafy greens you found in the West Forest the other day?”
“Ah!”
I completely forgot! Actually, why didn’t I gather them back then… Oh, the rope!
“Uh, I was going to gather cress… no, Lexon, and then it turned into a discussion about rope, and then I was making rope, and then it started pouring rain, and then I built an earth wall to keep the rainwater out, and then it was called a ‘residence,’ and then it jumped to declaring a nation from ‘My Home’?”
“That’s right. So many things happened consecutively, so it’s understandable you forgot.”
“Hahaha…”
It was a bit embarrassing to be consoled, but things had really piled up one after another. I needed to organize and clear the accumulated tasks here.
Chewing on the grilled rabbit meat, I reconsidered my plans for today. While the weather was good, it might be better to go gather Lexon and set up traps with the rope first. Mining and blacksmithing could be done even on rainy days.
“I’m changing plans a bit; I’m heading to the West Forest.”
“Okay. You’re going to gather cress, right?”
“Yeah. And I want to set traps with the rope I made, and I’m out of various other supplies.”
My Hermit Bamboo Grass was at zero because I’d made it all into potions. All the vines became rope, and the Papu Fruit was used up for tanning hides and other things…
“Lupi, we’re going to the West Forest, so wait a bit.”
“Woof.”
I’ll leave any unnecessary items in my inventory in the cave hall. I should clear as much space as possible and just take trap materials and potions. Oh, I don’t know if it’ll work on that Armor Bear, but I should bring paralysis knives…
*
“What’s the atmosphere like today?”
“It feels pretty relaxed today too. It was definitely dicey when that Armor Bear was around, so in that sense, I might be a little relieved.”
“Don’t let your guard down, okay?”
“Roger. Lupi, let’s go to where the deer were.”
“Woof.”
I activated [Presence Concealment] properly and moved forward while paying attention to [Presence Detection]. Well, Lupi is definitely superior when it comes to [Presence Detection], so I guess it’s fine to be a bit lax.
Today, as I carefully watched the ground while walking, I realized I’d overlooked a lot more than just Hermit Bamboo Grass… I gathered edible [Kitopukusa], which I’d thought were weeds, and [Chagatake] growing on dead trees as I continued.
“Woof!”
“Oh, good girl~!”
Lupi suddenly leaped into a bush, then returned with a Forebit in her mouth. Yes, yes, this kind of relaxed pace is good.
“Uh, was it around here…? Oh, there it is.”
I gathered Lexon, but I left about half, just in case the deer—the Greydeer—stopped coming. Glancing over, I saw Lupi sniffing around, as if she’d caught a scent.
“Lupi, what’s up?”
“Woof.”
She seemed to be telling me to look, so I approached. There was mud caked on a tree, and that meant…
“Bow-wow!”
Lupi barked, and the next moment, something registered on [Presence Detection], and a considerably large boar appeared at the end of the game trail. A red plate with [Ranziboa] floated above the thick, short horns on its head.
“Huuu…”
It aggressively pawed at the dirt with its forelegs, clearly intent on charging. The distance between us was less than 5 meters. Trying to escape now would probably be a bad move. At the very least, I needed to get one hit in to make it flinch before…
“Shou-kun!”
Mion sounded worried, but I didn’t feel the same level of threat as I did from that bear—the Armor Bear. Maybe it was because my character level had increased, but if it was just a boar charging straight at me, there were ways to deal with it.
“Fugoh!”
“
THUD!
“Ugh!”
The charging boar slammed into the suddenly appearing stone wall, almost knocking it over. I quickly supported it with both hands.
“Bow-wow!”
Lupi leaped out from behind the stone wall, firmly biting the boar’s right hind leg and pulling away its support. The Ranziboa couldn’t help but topple sideways.
“Nice one!”
I wished I had an axe at a time like this, but I instead struck its neck with
“Fgyaaah!”
It’s still thrashing; tough one! One more time!
“Hoo…”
[Character Level Increased!]
[Elemental Magic Skill Level Increased!]
[Taming Skill Level Increased!]
Oh, was this guy surprisingly high level? I think that puts me at level 9 now. Elemental Magic finally leveled up too. Taming also reached 4. Maybe I can take on the Armor Bear soon?
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, yeah, I’m fine. I managed it better than I thought. Thanks to Lupi.”
“Woof.”
Yeah, you can look smug all you want.
Unexpected bounty, but I have a feeling this will yield some good boar meat! High hopes for the hide and bones too!
Quickly dismantle it…
[Ancient Ruins Discovered!]
“Huh, again…?”